Generation Y, also known as the Millennial Generation, Generation Next or Net Generation,[1][2][3] describes the demographic cohort following Generation X. Its members are often referred to as Millennials[4][5] or Echo Boomers[6]. As there are no precise dates for when the Millennial generation starts and ends, commentators have used birth dates ranging somewhere from the mid-1970s[7][8][9][9][10][11][12] to the early 2000s.[13][14][15][6][16][17][18][19][20] This generation generally represents an increase in births from the 1980s and 90s, not because of a significant increase in birthrates, but because the large cohort of baby boomers began to have children. The 20th century trend toward smaller families in developed countries continued,[21][22] however, so the relative impact of the "baby boom echo" was generally less pronounced than the original boom.
Characteristics of the generation vary by region, depending on social and economic conditions. However, it is generally marked by an increased use and familiarity with communications, media, and digital technologies. In most parts of the world its upbringing was marked by an increase in a neoliberal approach to politics and economics.[23] The effects of this environment are disputed.[24][25]
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The term Generation Y first appeared in an August 1993 Ad Age editorial to describe teenagers of the day, which they defined as separate from Generation X, and then aged 13–19 (born 1974-1980), as well as the teenagers of the upcoming ten years.[26] "Generation Y" alludes to a succession from "Generation X" and also reflects a change in the sexual openness of the younger generation.
The name "Echo Boomers"[6] relates to the size of the generation and its relation to the Baby boomer generation.[27]
Authors William Strauss and Neil Howe have been very influential in defining American generations in their book Generations: The History of America's Future, 1584 to 2069 (1991) and are frequently cited in books and articles on the subject. Howe and Strauss maintain that they use the term Millennials in place of Generation Y because the members of the generation themselves coined the term, not wanting to be associated with Generation X. Almost a decade later, they followed up their large study of the history of American demographics with a new book specifically on that generation, titled Millennials Rising: The Next Great Generation (2000).[28][29] In their books Generations (1991) and Millennials Rising: The Next Great Generation (2000), William Strauss and Neil Howe use the start year as 1982 and end year of the generation as 2001. They believe that the coming of age of year 2000 high school graduates sharply contrasts with those born before them and after them due to the attention they received from the media and what influenced them politically.[30][31]
In Australia, there is much debate over the dates of Generation Y - that is, when "Gen Y" began, and the "cut-off" period. It is generally accepted, however, that "Gen Y" applies to those born in, between the dates of 1982 and June 1995, inclusively (in order to accompany the cut-off period for early enrollments in schools). Although debatable, as some consider the "end" of Gen Y births to be in 1994, and others believe Y refers to all people born in 1995.[32]
In Canada, the Y generation is typically thought of as being born between 1976 and 1999 inclusively.[33] Like members of Generation X, who are heavily influenced by the advent of MTV, early members of Generation Y are also sometimes called the MTV Generation. This term can also be a catch phrase for youth of the late 20th century, depending on the context.[34][35][36][37]
One author, Elwood Carlson, locates the American generation, which he calls the New Boomers, between 1983 and 2001 because of the upswing in births after 1983, finishing with the "political and social challenges" after the attacks of September 11, 2001 and the "persistent economic difficulties" of the time.[38]
In the United States the actual "Echo Boom" was a thirteen year span between 1982 and 1995[39] when for the first time since 1964, the number of live births reached over four million. It wouldn’t be until 1985 that the live birth number would even match that of 1965 at 3.760 million. Also it should be noted that the birthrate of 1971’s 17.2% has yet to be reached according to the 2000 census.[40][41] The majority of Generation Y is culturally liberal[42] with many respecting same-sex marriage rights to the LGBT community[43] among other politically liberal stances, but, in spite of the new dominant liberal growth, new youth clubs and groups have been created in developed countries (such as the US, UK, Japan, Australia and Italy) to take the task of promoting and preserving conservative views and beliefs. [44]
One analysis of American demographics locates the increase in births between 1978 and 1994. By this calculation there are 60 million members of the generation,[40] just shy of the 78.2 million baby boomers (as of 2005).[45]
Generation Y'ers are largely the children of the Baby Boomers. Younger members of this generation have parents that belong to Generation X.
"The Spirit of Generation Y", a 2006 Australian study, found 48% of those polled believed in a god, while 20% did not believe in a God and 32% were unsure if a God exists.[46] A 2005 American study looked at 1,385 people aged 18 to 25 and found that over half of those in the study said that they pray regularly before a meal. A third said that they talked about religion with friends, attend places of worship, and read religious materials weekly. 23% of those studied did not identify themselves as belonging to a religious denomination. [47] A recent poll by the Pew Research Center on religion and Generation Y showed that 64% of Americans in this generation believe in God. [48]
This generation is also sometimes referred to as the Boomerang Generation or Peter Pan Generation because of their perceived penchant for delaying some of the rites of passage into adulthood longer than most generations before them and because of a trend toward living with their parents for longer than recent generations.[49]
The primary cause of this increased trend can be defined in economic terms.[50] Economic crises, including the dot-com bubble in 2000, and the United States housing bubble that led to the current financial crisis have made paying market-level rent, or any rent, difficult for a generation riddled with high unemployment levels.[51]
However, economics is not the only explanation. Questions regarding a clear definition of what it means to be an adult also impacts a debate about delayed transitions into adulthood. For instance, one study by professors at Brigham Young University found that college students are more likely now to define "adult" based on certain personal abilities and characteristics rather than more traditional "rite of passage" events.[52] Dr. Larry Nelson, one of the three Marriage, Family, and Human Development professors to perform the study, also noted that some Millennials are delaying the transition from childhood to adulthood as a response to mistakes made by their parents. "In prior generations, you get married and you start a career and you do that immediately. What young people today are seeing is that approach has led to divorces, to people unhappy with their careers ... The majority want to get married [...] they just want to do it right the first time, the same thing with their careers."[52]
The Millennial Generation, like other generations, has been shaped by the events, leaders, developments and trends of its time.[53] The rise of instant communication technologies made possible through use of the internet, such as email, texting, and IM and new media used through websites like YouTube and social networking sites like Facebook, Myspace, and Twitter, may explain the Millennials' reputation for being somewhat peer-oriented due to easier facilitation of communication through technology.[54]
Expression and acceptance has been highly important to this generation. In China, with a total population of a billion people, the urge to stand out and be individualistic has become a staple of the Chinese youth culture.[55] Elsewhere, mainly in more well-developed nations, several cohorts of Generation Y members have found comfort in online gaming such as through MMORPGs and virtual worlds like World of Warcraft and Second Life[56]. Flash mobbing, internet meme, and online communities have given some of the more expressive Generation Y members acceptance, while online pen pals have given the more socially timid individuals acceptance as well.[57]
In their 2007 book, Junco and Mastrodicasa expanded on the work of Howe and Strauss to include research-based information about the personality profiles of Millennials, especially as it relates to higher education. They conducted a large-sample (7,705) research study of college students. They found that Next Generation college students were frequently in touch with their parents and they used technology at higher rates than people from other generations. In their survey, they found that 97% of students owned a computer, 94% owned a cell phone, and 56% owned a MP3 player. They also found that students spoke with their parents an average of 1.5 times a day about a wide range of topics.[58] Other findings in the Junco and Mastrodicasa survey included that 76% of students used instant messaging, 92% of those reported multitasking while IMing, and 40% of students used television to get most of their news and 34% the Internet.
In June 2009, Nielsen released the report, "How Teens Use Media" which discussed the latest data on media usage by generation. In this report, Nielsen set out to redefine the dialogue around media usage by the youngest of Generation Y, extending through working age Generation Y and compared to Generation X and Baby Boomers.[59]
The Millennials grew up amidst a time during which the Internet caused great change to all traditional media. Shawn Fanning, a Generation Y member, founded the peer-to-peer file sharing service Napster while in college. Though the RIAA won a lawsuit and shut down the service in 2001, innovations in technology mean the Millennials have access to more music on demand than any previous generation and have forced the recording industry to adapt to new business models.
Literature and pop culture of the 1990s and 2000s popular with Gen Y include Goosebumps (childhood),[60] Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings film trilogy and numerous fan fiction pieces to popular franchises, to name a few.[61]
In some ways, the Millennials have become seen as the ultimate rejection of the counterculture that began in the 1960s and persisted in the subsequent decades through the 1990s.[62][63] This is further documented in Strauss & Howe's book titled Millennials Rising: The Next Great Generation, which describes the Millennial generation as "civic minded," rejecting the attitudes of the Baby Boomers and Generation X.[64] Kurt Andersen, the prize-winning contributor to Vanity Fair writes in his book Reset: How This Crisis Can Restore Our Values and Renew America that many among the Millennial Generation view the 2008 election of Barack Obama as uniquely theirs and describes this generational consensus building as being more healthy and useful than the counterculture protests of the late 1960s and early 1970s, going as far to say that if Millennials can "keep their sense of entitlement in check, they might just turn out to be the next Greatest Generation."[65] However, due to the global financial crisis of 2008-2009, at least one journalist has expressed fears of permanently losing a substantial amount of Generation Y's earning potential.[66]
Economic prospects for the Millennials have worsened due to the late-2000s recession. Several governments have instituted major youth employment schemes out of fear of social unrest such as the 2008 Greek riots due to the dramatically increased rates of youth unemployment.[67] In Europe, youth unemployment levels are very high (40% in Spain, 35% in the Baltic states, 19.1% in Britain[68] and more than 20% in many more) In 2009 leading commentators began to worry about the long term social and economic effects of the unemployment.[69] Unemployment levels in other areas of the world are also high, with the youth unemployment rate in the U.S. reaching a record level (18.5%, July 2009) since the statistic started being gathered in 1948.[51] In Canada, unemployment amongst youths aged 15 to 24 years of age in July 2009 was 15.9%, the highest it had been in 11 years.[70]
Generation Y who grew up in Asian countries show different preferences and expectations of work to those who grew up in the US or Europe. This is usually attributed to the differing cultural and economic conditions experienced while growing up.[71]
The Millennials are sometimes called the "Trophy Generation", or "Trophy Kids,"[72] a term that reflects the trend in competitive sports, as well as many other aspects of life, where "no one loses" and everyone gets a "Thanks for Participating" trophy and symbolizing a perceived sense of entitlement. It has been reported that this is an issue in corporate environments.[72] Some employers are concerned that Millennials have too great expectations from the workplace and desire to shape their jobs to fit their lives rather than adapt their lives to the workplace.[73] To better understand this mindset, many large firms are currently studying this conflict and are trying to devise new programs to help older employees understand Millennials, while at the same time making Millennials more comfortable. For example, Goldman Sachs conducts training programs that use actors to portray Millennials who assertively seek more feedback, responsibility, and involvement in decision making. After the performance, employees discuss and debate the generational differences they have seen played out.[72] On the other hand, the willingness to give feedback and take on responsibility is also indicative of a rejection of in-house competitiveness and office politics, as the idea of everybody being winners has led to a loss of the win/lose dichotomy.
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